Dave – Buffalo, NY

If a good infiltration base is laid with adequate gap space then these will certainly function better than the alternative. Another benefit is that the presence and proper use of these features can reduce the need for salt by creating a gradient for the melting water to flow into the planters.

If a city were to combine this with porous paving for pathways and streets [also have been tested for icy conditions in Wisconsin -see: The Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association (www.wispave.org porous asphalt mix design specifications) and the Wisconsin Ready Mixed Concrete Association (www.wrmca.com list of pervious concrete contractors). FilterPave (www.filterpave.com), porous pavement made from recycled glass was laid in Baraboo at The International Crane refuge walking paths and observation areas.] salt application can also be significantly reduced because there will not be any standing water to freeze and create dangerous conditions.

Also, still in accordance with piling regulations, the planter sites would be well suited for piling snow because it will allow for faster infiltration and reduces the burden on storm sewers.

Hope this provides a good starting point.

As a Michiganian who has lived on both coasts here, and for 31 years in Europe, I am deeply concerned by our absolute dependence on petroleum, especially for food production! Where will any of our urban dwellers get food when all the petroleum is gone, and the fields of South Dakota prove to be too far from Portland, Los Angeles, New York and Miami to be able to deliver grain, meat and fruit etc. to them at affordable prices?!
Most Europeans live much closer to the land, because their cities existed before cars and oil arrived, and most of them have allotments for many to grow their own food.

Please look 60 years down the road for the end of oil, and 2,000 years down the same road for only 20 times the 5 generations that we have met in our own families. Will they thank or condemn us for our sprawling and profligate ways, when we could easily have made their lives so much more sustainable, while we still had the fossil fuels and climate to do it?

Please see my website at http://www.greenmillennium.eu for some ideas that I hope will spur debate!

One other remarkable thing about this program is that Portland has dedicated very little money to stand-alone/infill traffic calming projects (as opposed to corridor projects). Also, from the DOT’s point of view it is just a cost outlay. The partnership with the Bureau of Environmental Services has been great because they actually see a net financial benefit from these projects, so they have a real incentive to free up funding. I encourage advocates to explore this type of partnership and bring in brand new funding sources that aren’t competing against other DOT priorities.

We are by no means an SF-scale city, but our mixed land-use is pretty good. The city celebrates the concept of a 20-minute-neighborhood: everyone living in the city should be within a 20 minute walk or bike ride to grocery stores, restaurants, post office, etc. There is still a lot of work to be done until we can say this is the case for ALL of Portland’s neighborhoods, but it’s inspiring coming from larger cities that don’t have this concept on the table.

Lake Merced is complete:
sfwater.org/Files/Reports/SunsetSwalesProjectSummary5-10-07.pdf

Leland Ave is underway:
sfgov.org/site/sfdpw_page.asp?id=82253

Cesar Chavez is proposed:
sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/planning/City_Design_Group/CDG_mission_cesarchavez.htm

And a variety of smaller projects like bulb outs that allow stormwater to drain into landscaping are proposed around the city.

In the meantime, get your jackhammers out and break through some of the concrete in front of your place!
sfgov.org/site/sfdpw_index.asp?id=42766

@Matt Garcia: I wonder how many people looking for sustainable way of life are considering moving to Portland vs staying in SF. It would be interesting to calculate the economic impact of livable streets improvements in terms of property values, health impacts and infrastructure expenditures.

And while there are programs out there for individuals to change their property (plantsf.org etc.) there just isn’t enough being done on a city level to improve the way our landscape handles stormwater and sewers polluting the Bay. It just seems as though it would be so beneficial to our city in the long run if we had effective and sustainable stormwater management in the form of permeable softscape.

Sigh. Time to check those Portland job listings…